Coleman family papers, 1895-1971

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Summary

Creator:
Coleman family
Abstract:
Residents of Canada, Europe, and Asheville, N.C. Collection consists largely of a two-volume diary, 1895-1919, of Isabel Fleury Coleman, a twenty-three volume set of diaries, 1904-1971, belonging to Mary Augusta Coleman, and photographs of Fleury-Coleman family members and some of their residences. There are also two volumes pertaining to Mary Coleman's personal accounts and the "French Broad River Garden Club, 1967-1969," a few items of correspondence and genealogy, and a number of clippings and printed materials. Topics covered by the materials include music instruction (violin and piano), women's society life in Asheville, N.C., and women's travel in European countries during the 20th century.
Extent:
3 Linear Feet
Approx. 364 Items
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.00244

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists largely of a two-volume diary, 1895-1919, of Isabel Coleman, a twenty-three volume set of diaries, 1904-1971, belonging to Mary Augusta Coleman, and photographs of Fleury-Coleman family members and some of their residences. There are also two volumes pertaining to Mary Coleman's personal accounts, "French Broad River Garden Club, 1967-1969," a few items of correspondence and genealogy, and a number of clippings and printed materials. Topics covered by the materials include music clubs, instruction and performance (violin and piano) in Europe and the U.S., women's society life and fashions in Asheville, N.C., and women's travel in European countries during the 20th century. There are few comments about current events, even during the World Wars and the Depression, but there are extensive accounts of social life and customs in Europe and Asheville, N.C.

Biographical / historical:

The two daughters whose materials are predominant in this collection, Isabel and Mary Augusta, were born to Rufus Adams Coleman and Clara Elma Fleury Coleman. It appears from a business card that Mr. Coleman was an attorney and conveyancer in Toronto. He disappeared from their lives and does not seem to be referred to much in the collection, not even in his wife's obituary. Mrs. Coleman's parents, the Fleurys, were from Aurora, Ontario. Mrs. Coleman and her daughters Isabel, Mary, and Helen lived for a time in Toronto, then Germany. Isabel and Mary studied music extensively in Leipzig; Mrs. Coleman was an accomplished pianist and her daughter Mary a violinist. The family then moved to Berlin, then to Switzerland, after which they moved to England during World War I. They also seem to have lived in France and Italy. Mrs. Coleman and Mary Augusta lived in Europe for over 25 years. Isabel returned to the U.S. to work as a governess and was living in Asheville when her mother and sisters moved there in 1923. Mary and Isabel both taught in Asheville and were very active in upper-class social circles to which they belonged. The other sister Helen appears to have remained in Canada and may have been in the Weston Sanatorium, from a reference in a letter written by Isabel.

Acquisition information:
The Coleman family papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a Flowers Collection purchase in 1980 from an unknown source.
Processing information:

Processed by Rubenstein Library staff, 1981

Encoded by Willeke Sandler and Paula Jeannet, March 2012

Accession(s) described in this collection guide: 7-29-80

Materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

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Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Coleman Family Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.